For a horse-human relationship based on reciprocal expression

Too often we can’t see the spontaneous behaviour of horses because they are too much trained for human purposes, losing their normal behaviour and part of their individuality. Even when a horse shows something of an own intention, it is often judged upon as an attempt to undermind the horse-human interaction. The horses’ self-expression in the relationship with human is mostly suppressed and controlled (for example moving the head while haltering or moving while saddling). Rarely it is seen or interpretated as a moment of dialogue in which both human and horse are entering in interaction with eachother.

In the zooanthropological approach and in zooanthropological equitation, it is fundamental to give the horse the possibility to express his own world and spontaneous behaviour. When we, as human, pay attention to the horse and create room for his expressiveness we start an inter-species relationship.

But what are the spontaneous behaviours of a horse?

As horses are often seen as anxious, unpredictable animals, the fear to let them express themselves, convinced that this might be dangerous, actually makes them anxious and unpredictable animals. Which is a strange vicious circle. For example, the fear off being bitten by a horse makes us push away their head every time they try to understand us by smelling us from closeby or exploring us with the lips. The pushing or even harsher actions transforms that same intention for understanding into a more tensed situation.

In the same way we deny them their social behaviour. In our society horses live too often in social isolation, so they can’t express themselves through social behaviour and this is something that by now we all know (even if most horses continue to live that way).

Social isolation

But even when they live with other horses, the groups are often not permanent, not familiar or familiar-like. The horses in these groups change often, so even then they can‘t express themselves (in their natural cognitive way) as there interaction is often focused on defensive behaviour and not exactly social. Social behaviours are not only reactive behaviours as for example dominance/leadership dynamics, which are just short episodes in a family group. Social behaviours are subtle, small gestures and often not much visible behaviours that have an important cohesive function for a herd. It is much more then mutual grooming, which is an expressing that can also be part of an attempt to reduce tension. It is, for example, observing eachother and the herd dynamics, looking from a distance while eating grass, pre-conflict behaviour to avoid tension, smelling eachother to better understand a certain situation.

Social communication

An other group of spontaneous behaviours that we deny to the horse is investigative/explorative behaviour. Fundamental for the correct development of cognitive functions. In fact people often use techniques, methods and tools that deprive the horse of the opportunity to explore his reference context, other horses, the human and himself.

Spontaneus behaviours deprivation

Often horse spontaneus behaviours are limited to complicated bits and bridles. The more we expect precise behaviour and complicated exercises from a horse when ridden (and not), the bigger the impediment to the expression of their own spontaneous behaviours. Spontaneous behaviours are important for the horse also when we ride it, because of this behaviours are important to improving cognitive dialogue from the saddle and reducing reactive/defensive behaviour due often to suppression of spontaneous behaviours.

Equine vibrissae (whiskers) | Tactile investigative behaviour

Also some grooming approaches as clipping the horse’s vibrissae (whiskers), depriving the horse to explore in appropriate way, as they are important for the sensory receptors, using his spontaneous behaviours and so inducing stress factors, in the same time reducing welfare.

The reduction of the sponteneous behaviour often happens already during the initial training of young horses. In these moments the horses lives a strong reduction of their natural spontaneous behaviours to improve behaviour functional for human anthropocentric desires. Operant conditioning applied during these moment (with negative or positive reinforcement) drastically reducing spontaneous behaviours and so reducing equine welfare.

Negative Reinforcement (Operant conditioning and expectations)

Negative Reinforcement (Operant conditioning and expectations)

Positive Reinforcement (Operant conditioning and expectations)

Positive Reinforcement (Operant conditioning and expectations)

In a different way, the zooanthropological approach facilitates spontaneous behaviours in horses, give so the opportunity to create their own mental map as social map, learning map, human-horse relationship map, using their own mental and physical capacities, without conditioning.

The behaviour is an expression of a state of mind and not the result of direct automatic external or internal stimuli. The behaviouristic theories of the early twentieth century, are obsolete and we must have clear it.

Below a list of pictures about spontaneous behaviours and spontaneous horses during our practical activities:

Born in 1965 in Italy, where he is a renowned biologist, ethologist and applied behavioural researcher, Francesco De Giorgio is member of the Ethics Committee of ISAE (International Society for Applied Ethology), specialized in equine and canine ethology. He is founder, developer and facilitator at the Learning Animals | International Institute for Zooanthropology, where he focuses principally on the study of animal-human interaction, ethics, animal personal growth and rehabilitation.

Graduating from Parma University in 1989, Francesco began his career as an independent field researcher, supporting several universities whilst indulging his lifelong passion for horses and dogs as an Equine and Canine Learning Professional – helping owners to enhance their relationships with animals.

Described by International School of Ethology (Erice, IT), Director Danilo Mainardi as “a man who works with his head and his heart and his hands”, Francesco walks the talk – integrating scientific knowledge into ethical day-to-day practice.

An expert in equine and canine welfare, Francesco provides expert support for institutions occupied with animal Health and Welfare (e.g. in equine mistreatment cases), has served on a number of ethics committees, and acts as an advisor to courts, police and equine rehabilitation centres.

Much sought-after as both a speaker and lecturer, Francesco speaks regularly on ‘Cognitive Ethology in the Animal-Human Relationship’. He also lectures at several universities and has presented to numerous conferences and symposia on ethology, cognition and zooanthropology and published the books “Horse- Human dictionary” (in italian) and “The Cognitive Horse” (in english).

José Schoorl

Francesco’s partner in both life and work, Dutch born José Schoorl personifies the bridge between equine perception and human understanding. Their shared passion for horses and keen insight in social dynamics brought them together and today they live in the Netherlands with their eight horse companions, four dogs and two cats.

After many years of change adviser and personal development consultant, she is, today, a renowned proponent of the zooanthropological approach, working for the change in awareness and understanding of the Animal-Human Relationship.

As consultant and teacher at the Learning Animals Institute for Zooanthropology, José strives to improve people’s understanding of cognition and relationship dynamics, and in so doing to enhance their relationship with animals.

Contending that a firm grasp of equine cognition is the vital first step to understanding horses’ behaviour, José is a real force for change; inspiring and promoting fresh thinking in her writing and in her lectures and creating effective personal growth trajectories for individuals through free interaction with horses.
A regular guest lecturer and speaker in zooanthropology and personal growth, José has presented to conferences and symposia throughout Europe.

The ethical face of the Other, a face that exists in a dialogue, without rewards or punishments, without gentle conditionings or obedient socializations, and for this makes me fully owner of myself and of my own learning, truly social, cognitively responsible for myself and for my choices. A face that does not leads to success or survival, but that facilitate the return to myself, homeward, as an autonomous entity and not heteronomous, and therefore definitely gives me the ultimate freedom.
The pic of the face of Amour is by Andrea Gaspardo, during the Learning Horse study program in Ethology and Zooanthropology, Italian edition 2015, at Improntamica Zooantropologia, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy

The 15th edition of these world-changing study programs will be launched with the Learning Horse Human-Animal Study course in applied Zooantropology at HorseThinking, County Durham.

The course, which starts on the 16th May 2015, aims to improve the awareness and recognition for the animal as an emotional and perceptive being as well as improving the understanding of how a reciprocal relationship can be developed between humans and animals, with a particular focus on horses.
Zooanthropology is part of a global cultural change that puts the current anthropocentric relationship between animals and humans into question.
The course is comprised of six detailed modules which will be taught across two phases over a period of five months, and will culminate with a final exam. Upon completion of the course, participants will receive the certificate for applied equine zooanthropology. The course modules are set out as follows:

1) Animal Ethics in the interspecies relationship(also available as single module)

2) Principles of Cognitive Ethology – Masterclass

3) Cognition and Learning

4) Dialogue and Social Dynamics

5) Problem experiences

6) Zooanthropology in practice

Course participants will learn to understand and recognise how the cognitive abilities of a horse can give depth an meaning to relationships and quality of life. The course will create the awareness of how the quality of life for horses is related to the ability to be able to engage in a dialogue with their own perceptions, their own experiences, emotions and cognition.
The course is being led by Biologist Francesco De Giorgio and teacher in applied zooanthropology José Schoorl. Please see biographies below.
If you would like to speak to either Francesco or José, they are both available for interview at your convenience.
To find out more about the Learning Horse Human-Animal Study course, call 07553475309 or email info@horsethinking.co.uk
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About Learning Animals:

Learning Animals is a company based in the Netherlands, working on an international level to create awareness for the animal-human relationship, taken the socio-cognitive abilities of both into account. This is done by offering education programs, university guest lectures, student support in research regarding socio-cognitive abilities and the animal-human interaction, writing of books and articles, collaboration with animal-welfare organisations, individual consults and the organisation of conferences, workshops and seminars.

Francesco De Giorgio is a Biologist specialising in animal cognition and with a life experience in the relationship with horses and dogs. He is a teacher in the understanding and appreciation of the cognitive, zooanthropologic model to improve relationship dynamics, animal wellbeing and rehabilitation processes. Francesco is a member of the Ethics Committee of ISAE (International Society for Applied Ethology) and unique in his insight in the dialogue of equids with the world around them.José De Giorgio-Schoorl is a teacher in applied zooanthropology and personal growth facilitator. She specialised in the facilitation of cultural changes and is a consult in the animal-human relationship. José strives to improve the way humans understand the elements in their relationship with animals from their point of view and facilitates in-depth personal growth paths.
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In modern times, in the world of the interactions between humans and other animals, there are Behavioural Control Techiniques for all tastes: from dominant to gentle, from the scientific to the spiritual, from the ethnic to ethological, from positive to peaceful. Few people, however, are really aware of how these training techniques have a negative impact on the socio-cognitive abilities of animals.

Every animal has his own perception of the world, evolved phylogenetically and ontogenetically, with their own mental, emotional and social skills. In short, they are already ‘written blackboards’, they are already ‘vessels full’ in abilities, they are living beings already rich in their own innate wisdom. Due to the impact that Behavioural Control Techiniques (BCTs) often have on altering socio-cognitive skills, more and more often there are reported cases of animals that developed different sociopathic forms, intra-and inter-specific, more or less visible, more or less hidden: redirect aggression towards themselves, towards con-specifics or towards humans; aboulia and apathy; anxiety and depression; learned helplessness and other pathological states.

Recent research in the field of ethology and cognitive neuroscience and free thinkers linked to the fields of modern thoughts, begin to put under question with more and more strength every form of control of animal behaviour, not only because of the negative side effects caused, but also in recognition of a different status to the animal, as subject and sentient being, with his own rights.

BCTs have an anthropocentric value and are rooted in anachronistic interpretive disciplines such as behaviourism and classical ethology, that are disciplines under the critical judgment of history, science, ethics and philosophy. Concept as Operant Conditioning and Dominance Hierarchy, as examples, at the basis for the development of BCTs, reduce animals, ridiculously and inappropriately, into categories and objects, applying reductionist models that could give rise to the alteration and modification of behavior, for anthropocentric purposes.

Ensuring quality of life, moving beyond the old concept of welfare, is to give appropriate attention to the world of perception of the animal, that animal, avoiding anthropocentrisms and anthropomorphisms, ensuring the quality of their thoughts, the quality of their emotions, the quality of their feelings, the quality of their social world.

How many people actually really know the horse as he is? This is the more important question. A lot of people think that in nature horses are reactive animals, always in an emotive inner state, searching for their leader to have guidance. False. Horses become highly reactive/emotive due to human breeding, management and activities. In nature horses are cognitive/emotional animals. They are thinking animals. Each their own balanced individual, capable of belonging to something bigger as a herd.

But what does cognition really mean? Cognition usually refers to the cognitive mechanisms involved in learning, memory, perception, decision-making and other. Cognitive ethology starts from the animal as sentient being. In the same way, the zooanthropological philosophy starts from considering animal as dialogical subject and not as passive object.

Equitation, modern or classical, more or less “natural”, using negative or positive reinforcement, has always seen the horse as a machine incapable of thinking. An object to condition and to control, this way depriving this animal of its natural cognitive abilities. This is mainly due to the early history of western philosophy that reflects a tendency to see animals as living being with lacking rationality.

Aristotle defined “human” as “the rational animal”, thus rejecting the possibility that any other species is rational (Aristotle Metaphysics). Aquinas believed that animals are irrational because they are not free (Aquinas Summa Theologica). Centuries later, Descartes defended his distinction between humans and animals based on the belief that language is a necessary condition for mind; on his view animals are soulless machines (Descartes Discourse on the Method). Locke agreed that animals cannot think, because words are necessary for comprehending universals (Locke Essay Concerning Human Understanding). Following in this tradition, Kant concluded that since they cannot think about themselves, animals are not rational agents and hence they only have instrumental value (Kant Lectures on Ethics). The question of animal rationality is related to a number of different questions about animals, including whether they engage in action, wether they have intend, or intentionality. Views about animal rationality can also have consequences for views about animal autonomy and moral status (Andrews, 2011).

Horse cognition research began collecting the first data in recent years; mixed with equine zooanthropology pushed with vigor into a new light, not only from the scientific point of view, but also from a cultural and ethical (De Giorgio, 2010; De Giorgio, Schoorl, 2012).

For example, under feral or semi-feral situation, in familiar group, horses seem to have important cognitive skills during social exploration of novel objects, expressed with specific behaviours and caratheristics. The first data analysis about our recent observations, seem to indicate a difference in permanent and non-permanent groups, during investigative processes of novel objects. The results show that group-stability, in which individuals take each other into account to avoid tension, offers a better exploratory process and thus a better cognitive experience (De Giorgio et al., 2012, sent to ASAB Winter Meeting titled “Cognition in the Wild” and to the Dutch Society of Behavioural Biology Annual Meeting).

Social cognitive abilities in horses are even more interesting when applied to the horse-human relationship. There is indeed evidence that horses detect human cues and attentional states (Krueger et al. 2011).

Only when you give to the horses the space, the context and the time to create their own experience, their own learning, their own sharing, focussing our own (human) intentions on their quality of life, only then will you see the horse as he is.

In the equine zooanthropological approach we don’t stimulate cognition, but we preserve innate cognitive abilities. We preserve the horse as he is.

As Gabriele Bono stressed in the preface of Proceedings about Italian Society of Veterinary Physiology Meeting 2012, looking at the cognitive abilities of animals should be a good occasion to face anthrozoology challenges beyond animal welfare, into animal quality of life.

Authors: Francesco De Giorgio, José De Giorgio-Schoorl

________

Francesco De Giorgio

Born in 1965 in Italy, Francesco De Giorgio is a forward thinker about animal ethics as well as a biologist, ethologist and applied behavioural researcher. Francesco is member of the Ethics Commitee of ISAE (International Society of Applied Ethology), specialized in equine and canine ethology. He is also founder, developer and facilitator at the Learning Animals | International Institute for Zooanthropology, where he focuses principally on the study of animal-human interaction, ethics, animal personal growth and rehabilitation.

Graduating from Parma University in 1989, Francesco began his career as an independent field researcher, supporting several universities whilst indulging his lifelong passion for horses and dogs as an Equine and Canine Learning Professional – helping owners to enhance their relationships with animals.

Described by International School of Ethology (Erice, IT), Director Danilo Mainardi as “a man who works with his head and his heart and his hands”, Francesco walks the talk – integrating scientific knowledge into ethical day-to-day practice.

An expert in equine and canine welfare, Francesco provides expert support for institutions occupied with animal Health and Welfare (e.g. in equine mistreatment cases), has served on a number of ethics committees, and acts as an advisor to courts, police and equine rehabilitation centres, in animal abuse cases and rehabilitations post-abuse.

Much sought-after as both a speaker and lecturer, Francesco speaks regularly on ‘Cognitive Ethology in the Animal-Human Relationship’. He also lectures at several universities and has presented to numerous conferences and symposia on ethology, cognition and zooanthropology and published the books “Horse- Human dictionary” (in italian) and “The Cognitive Horse” (in english and italian).

José De Giorgio-Schoorl

Francesco’s partner in both life and work, Dutch born José Schoorl personifies the bridge between equine perception and human understanding. Their shared passion for horses and keen insight in social dynamics brought them together and today they live in the Netherlands with their eight horse companions, four dogs and two cats.

After many years of change adviser and personal development consultant, she is, today, a renowned proponent of the zooanthropological approach, working for the change in awareness and understanding of the Animal-Human Relationship.

As consultant and teacher at the Learning Animals Institute for Zooanthropology, José strives to improve people’s understanding of cognition and relationship dynamics, and in so doing to enhance their relationship with animals.

Contending that a firm grasp of equine cognition is the vital first step to understanding horses’ behaviour, José is a real force for change; inspiring and promoting fresh thinking in her writing and in her lectures and creating effective personal growth trajectories for individuals through free interaction with horses.
A regular guest lecturer and speaker in zooanthropology and personal growth, José has presented to conferences and symposia throughout Europe.